The Book of Broken Hearts by Sarah Ockler

Jude has learned a lot from her older sisters, but the most important thing is this: The Vargas brothers are notorious heartbreakers. She’s seen the tears and disasters that dating a Vargas boy can cause, and she swore an oath—with candles and a contract and everything—to never have anything to do with one.

Now Jude is the only sister still living at home, and she’s spending the summer helping her ailing father restore his vintage motorcycle—which means hiring a mechanic to help out. Is it Jude’s fault he happens to be cute? And surprisingly sweet? And a Vargas?

Jude tells herself it’s strictly bike business with Emilio. Her sisters will never find out, and Jude can spot those flirty little Vargas tricks a mile away—no way would she fall for them. But Jude’s defenses are crumbling, and if history is destined to repeat itself, she’s speeding toward some serious heartbreak…unless her sisters were wrong?

Jude may have taken an oath, but she’s beginning to think that when it comes to love, some promises might be worth breaking.

“Hey Jude, don’t make it bad, Take a sad song and make it better…”

Sorry, couldn’t resist. What a beautiful story! The Book of Broken Hearts is the first book I’ve read by Sarah Ockler and she has definitely made a fan out of me. This is far from being just another romance between a boy and a girl, because there is so much more to it. There is more than one way to get a broken heart.

It’s supposed to be Jude’s last summer to have fun and be carefree with her friends before going off to college, but it doesn’t quite work out that way. Instead, Jude decides to spend time with her ailing father rebuilding his ’61 Harley. He has the beginning stages of Alzheimer’s Disease, and Jude believes bringing his beloved motorcycle back to life will make him better. Unfortunately, they need help doing it. Cheap. And Emilio Vargas is their best option. Only thing is, Emilio comes from a family of heartbreakers and Jude made an oath to her sisters that she would never, ever under any circumstances get involve with a Vargas.

This is told from Jude’s POV, and I absolutely loved her personality. She had me cracking up many times, especially when doing her dogs dialogue. Gotta love Pancake! Jude is into drama, always performing in plays, which makes for some funny moments. She isn’t exactly skilled in the ways of guys, but Emilio just might be able to help with that. Oh, Emilio, you hot Puerto Rican, you! He was cocky, but in a cute, funny way that would fluster poor Jude. She held her own with him pretty well, though. They were so great together! I seriously loved how he called her “princesa.” They might be one of my favorite couples this year.

Like I said, The Book of Broken Hearts wasn’t only about Jude and Emilio’s relationship – family played a very pivotal role, too. Jude was so good with her dad, I just wanted to hug them both at times. Their relationship was sweet, yet heartbreaking. I loved that it was such a big part of the story. I also enjoyed her relationship with her sisters, who she dubbed The Holy Trinity. When you meet them, you’ll understand why. It was an interesting and entertaining dynamic, since Jude is the baby of the family by eight years.

This book had me laughing, crying, and almost everything in between. It’s definitely a fun book, but it’s also very touching. I couldn’t get enough and felt sad that it was over. It’s one of those books that make me feel like I watched a movie instead, because it was so clear and engaging. I love that!

The Book of Broken Hearts is for sure a great summer read. Oh who am I kidding? It’s a great anytime read! So get to it! I will definitely be checking out Ockler’s other books soon.

I wonder of my sisters knew how broadly this dynasty of heartbreakers spanned? We could be talking nationwide pandemic here.

Everything he did seemed like a dare, an invitation to some secret place where time didn’t exist and boredom didn’t stand a chance.

Emilio waved for me to follow him along a narrow dirt trail on the other side of the Bowl, close to the woods. “I want to show you something,” he said.
“This totally sounds like a stranger danger video.”
“I’ll give you some candy if that’s what it takes.”
I raised my eyebrows. “What kind?”
“You’ll see.”

I love the sound of this and the characters involved. Always good when a character makes you giggle and the dogs sound delightful too. Lovely review and I am so glad you enjoyed this!kimbacaffeinate recently posted…Review: The Sea of Tranquility by Katja Millay

I’ve wanted to read this book for SO long and now I’m even more excited about it. Great review, Christy. I especially love that you say it was like watching a movie – I love books like that!SweetMarie83 recently posted…Distractions from Reading

I’ve been looking at this one for a while, your review tells me I would most likely really enjoy it. I think it is the perfect relaxing in the sun kind of book! 🙂 Lovely review Christy!Bonnie recently posted…How I Lost You by Janet Gurtler Review & Giveaway

Awww sounds sweet and sad. Good romance and family storylines. It is nice that she is spending time with her Dad and getting a hot guy helping too! I can’t wait to start this one!Jennifer recently posted…Stacking The Shelves #47